Members of the Central boys cross country team run during a recent practice. Coach Kris Scholtes (far left) joins runners Jace Hirst (clockwise from front), Carter McClure, Jacob Carmichael and Neil Reinke.

Written by

Jace Hirst is on a mission to get his teammates to break their personal records. The Central cross country runner is a senior and one of the few holdovers from last season's varsity lineup, two factors that make him a natural candidate to be a team leader this year.

Hirst recognizes the responsibility, but he also isn't one to make a big speech or other grand gestures to the team. His goal is simple, to run as fast as he can in practice so teammates will work harder in an attempt to catch up with him.

Coach Kris Scholtes isn't sure he'd use the word leader to describe what Hirst will be doing, but simply ...